Overview

• A gray whale, thought to be extinct in the Atlantic for over 200 years, was spotted off the coast of Nantucket, marking a rare and significant sighting.
• The whale's presence in the Atlantic is attributed to climate change, with warmer global temperatures and reduced Arctic ice allowing for passage between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
• This sighting is part of a pattern of increased gray whale strandings and unusual mortality events in the Pacific, possibly due to a decline in prey.
• Researchers believe the gray whale seen near Nantucket is the same individual observed off the coast of Florida in December.
• The return of gray whales to the Atlantic could have both positive and negative implications for the species, including new feeding opportunities and risks associated with unfamiliar territories.